3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20
Abe Lemons Arena
THE MATCHUP: Oklahoma City University puts its 16-game winning streak on the line against archrival Southern Nazarene. OCU and Southern Nazarene have combined for 24 Sooner Athletic Conference championships, 15 of 16 SAC Tournament titles and 12 NAIA Division I championships. The two played for the national championship each year from 2002-04, with the Stars capturing the NAIA title in 2002.
Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for students. Admission is free for all OCU athletic events to OCU faculty, staff and students with their ID.
ABOUT THE STARS: OCU trounced USAO 86-48 on Thursday in Chickasha, Okla. The Stars won for the 16th consecutive game to improve to 22-3, 17-1 in the SAC. OCU outscored USAO 30-13 in points off turnovers, 18-5 in second-chance points and 31-10 in bench points.
Starr Fairbanks, a 6-foot-2 junior from Cincinnati, led four OCU players in double-figures with 19 points and eight rebounds. Fairbanks is averaging 12.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.
Donica Cosby, a 5-8 junior from Coldwater, Miss., chipped in 15 points and three assists. Cosby leads OCU with 14.3 points, 3.9 assists and 1.88 steals a game. Holly Hardin, a 6-0 senior from Chickasha, Okla., turned in 14 points and eight rebounds. Hardin is averaging 11.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.12 blocks. Brett Bates, a 5-6 sophomore from Hobart, Okla., pitched in 11 points off the bench in just 11 minutes.
OCU ranks fourth in NAIA Division I in field-goal percentage (0.462), sixth in scoring margin (18.7) and sixth in assists per game (17.8). The Stars also rank ninth nationally in turnover margin (6.2), 10th in total assists (444) and 10th in scoring offense per game (77.1). Chontaye Walter, a 5-8 senior from Oklahoma City, ranks seventh nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.33), while Fairbanks ranks eighth in field-goal percentage (0.575).
The Stars are ranked sixth in the latest NAIA Division I poll. OCU was picked to finish second in the conference in the preseason. The Stars entered this season tied for the most wins of any women's basketball program in the nation over the past nine years.
Southern Nazarene leads the overall series 35-28. OCU rallied to defeat Southern Nazarene 79-69 in overtime on Feb. 8 in Bethany, Okla. Cosby led the Stars with 21 points, four assists and two steals.
ABOUT THE CRIMSON STORM: Southern Nazarene smashed Mid-America Christian 97-63 on Thursday in Bethany, Okla. SNU improved to 16-11, 10-9 in the SAC. Southern Nazarene shot 58.3 percent for the game and hit 10 3-pointers.
Lana Keith led the Crimson Storm with 18 points, three assists and two blocks. Keith, a 5-10 junior, leads the leads the conference in scoring at 18.2 points per game. Abbey Marra and Sharmeda Johnson each had double-doubles for the Crimson Storm. Marra, a 6-1 sophomore, totaled 15 points and 15 rebounds. Marra averages 8.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and leads the conference with 1.77 blocks per game. Johnson, a 5-11 sophomore, added 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Southern Nazarene ranks fourth nationally in total blocks, assist-to-turnover ratio (1.11) and 3-point field-goal percentage (0.387).
SNU is receiving one vote in the latest NAIA poll. SAC coaches picked Southern Nazarene to finish third in the conference during the preseason.
ABOUT THE COACHES: Rob Edmisson has posted a stellar 140-25 record in his fifth season at OCU and a 442-144 record overall in his 20th season as a head coach. Edmisson has led the Stars to SAC regular-season championships twice and the SAC Tournament title three times. Edmisson coached the only player drafted into the WNBA from OCU, Mariam Sy. He won 192 games at Hutchinson (Kan.) and 110 as a high-school coach in Kansas.
Lori Carter has a 167-63 record in her seventh season guiding Southern Nazarene. Including three seasons at St. Gregory's, Carter has a 206-117 record as a head coach. Carter, the SAC coach of the year in 2001, 2007 and 2009, played for SNU from 1989-92 and served as an assistant at OCU from 1996-98 before leading the Storm to the 2004 NAIA championship.
QUOTABLE: “The good thing about Brett is when she comes into the game the tempo will pick up. That is something we need.” – Edmisson on Bates
FOLLOW THE STARS: Fans can keep up on the latest on OCU athletics through several ways.
Become a fan of the Oklahoma City University Stars on Facebook by going to www.facebook.com/ocustars.
Become a follower of the OCU Stars on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ocustars.
Check out video of the Stars in action at www.youtube.com/oklahomacityuniver.
Listen to past game broadcasts and pregame and postgame interviews on the OCU pod center by clicking here.
Know when the game is happening and get scores and highlights following by calling the OCU athletics hotline at (405) 208-5400. Get conference results and highlights by calling the SAC Hotline at (405) 878-2110.
ON THE AIR: The game will broadcast via the OCU athletics web site. Greg Merick will call the action, and Andrew Himes will provide analysis. Click here to listen to the broadcast, here for the live stats and here for details on the video stream.
